Jim Brewer with Special Guest Dan Smith – Take It Easy Greasy
Earwig Records / Riverlark Music
16 Tracks – 56 minutes
Jim Brewer was born in Brookhaven, Mississippi on October 3, 1920. Born visually impaired, his parents could not afford to send him to a school for the blind. Instead, they trained him to play guitar. He learned by listening to records and the local players and traveling bluesmen. He then became capable of creating his own music. In 1940, his family moved to Chicago. Jim quickly became part of the Maxwell Street scene playing with Robert Nighthawk, and Arthur “Big Boy” Crudup among others. He also had a standing show playing with energetic preacher Sister Carrie every Sunday until his death on June 3, 1988. In the early 60’s as blues artists became recognized, he played in many clubs and events such as the University of Chicago Folk Festival. Jim released his first self-named album in 1974 on Philo Records. A second album, Tough Luck, was released by Earwig Records in 1983.
The Reverend Dan Smith was born on January 23, 1911. His family circumstances required him to start working at age 4. In 1943, he moved to Tarrytown, New York to get regular wages at the Chrysler Factory. Unfortunately, that work ultimately cost him his eyesight following an industrial accident. He became an itinerant harmonica player but played and preached everywhere he went making friends along the way including with Pete Seeger performing at many folk festivals until his death on November 16th, 1994. He also joined Seeger in the protest demanding the cleanup of the Hudson River. In 1992, he released a gospel blues album, Just Keep Goin’ On, on Glasshouse Records produced by Buddy Miller and featuring Buddy’s wife, Julie, and Victoria Williams.
Andy Cohen from Riverlark Music met Jim in 1965 and Dan in 1970. Michael Frank of Earwig Records met Jim in 1972. Together in 1984, Andy and Michael decided to pair the two in their Traveling Blues Revue. Independent of those two, a Northwestern student, Bill Fonvielle, in 1966 decided to throw a rent party with Brewer as the performer. Bill used his portable tape deck and two microphones to record Jim’s two sets. In 2021, Bill told Gary Leopold, a veteran in the music industry about the tape. Gary contacted Michael who became excited about the recording. Working with Andy, this album features six tracks from Bill’s recordings, plus five tracks from a 1984 concert at the University of Wisconsin, three tracks recorded at a 1980 club date, and two studio recordings from 1978. Promotional notes says that five more of Bill’s recordings are on the digital release of the album.
The album’s title comes from one of Jim’s favorite sayings, “Take it easy, greasy, we got a long way to slide.” And slide we do into “Jim’s Highway 61”, the first of the studio recordings as he cites if that Greyhound (bus) don’t run, “there’s gonna be some walkin’ done”. The next five tracks are from the University of Wisconsin concert. The Mississippi Sheik’s “Corrina Corrina” is next with Jim’s smooth vocals and expert guitar work. “Crawdad Hole” is an old-time song about catching crawdads and eating them. The deep-voiced “Dan Smith” first shows up on “The Train” as his harmonica gets the train moving down the tracks.
Dan grew up with the notion that “Cotton Needs Pickin'” but Jim played guitar, so he did not have to. Some variety of the song was sung by many of the pickers in the field. Dan continues on the vocals and brings gospel to the session on “Babylon is Falling Down” as he states the song is a bout “a man who thought he had it made, but didn’t have it started”. The traditional “Step Up and Go” gets Jim’s guitar and vocals back to the front.
The next five songs are from Bill’s recordings starting with a cover of Jimmy Rogers’ “That’s All Right”, a song he performed because it was popular in the neighborhoods where he played. His version is a lean, stripped-down version. “Must I Go or Stay” is noted as a possible original from Jim and may have even been improvised during the show. A cover of Pine Top Smith’s “Oak Top Boogie” is Jim’s guitar-oriented version of Pine Top’s piano boogie-woogie that Jim played on a dare. “Jim’s Talking Blues” is Jim telling an old joke while continuing to play the guitar.
The next three songs were recorded at the Gentry Remedy Company in Bloomington, Indiana. Tampa Red’s “Don’t You Lie to Me” is the next cover and Jim even calls out Red’s name as he moves into the instrumental. The Harlem Hamfats’ “What You Gonna Do” recorded in 1936 is a simple song Jim learned when he was young “Oh Red, went to bed, fell out of the bed, bumped his head, then he dropped dead.” Tampa Red wrote the song “It Hurts Me Too”. Elmore James also recorded the song but changed some of the verses. Jim’s version changes the words from either of those versions.
The second studio song is Jim’s version of Ma Rainey’s 1924 “See See Rider”. A cover of Washboard Sam Brown’s “Tell Me Mama” is the final song from Bill’s recordings and the concluding song to the album.
Jim Brewer demonstrates a guitar mastery that was certainly overlooked during his lifetime. This album deserves to be heard by everyone that has in interest in the pure, traditional blues. Jim’s vocals are warm, comfortable and appealing. Dan’s short stint on the middle songs displayed a talented harmonica player and strong, deep voiced vocalist. I was not familiar with either artist prior to this album but want to thank Andy and Michael for giving me the opportunity to hear these classic players.
